Players Who Became The Opposite Of What They Were?

[MadLuke]

but then look like complete dopes when they have to cover someone?

Do they still do look like that during the Olympics or third period with a lead in the playoff ?

If not, it could be will, sacrifice and motivation, which is can be large part of doing it for people good enough to stay in the nhl without doing it.

Rick Nash with all his size, stick, strength and speed could look really good defensively with Team Canada, in an afternoon November game against Phoenix, not so sure if he always did.

Mario Lemieux being an other one, even old Mario in 2004 was still be a good 2 way forward went it needed to be.

And in those days he was definitely not known as a defensive guy. He was quite bad at it if I remember correctly.

Depend on who, there was a portion of MTL fans that still had some; if a defenceman is big and can use the Sherwood in front of the net = mediocre if not good defensively almost automatic.

Souray and Marc Andre Bergeron could score 25 in a year with their slapshop (Bergeron had an hard time being good enough to have the ice time, Souray actually did it). Souray only had like 10-15 goals his whole career before his return to the nhl in 2004... missing a whole year, could it have bbeen some injury (a bit like when he declined so fast after... wrist I think)

 

[Michael Farkas]

Sheldon Souray and Marc-Andre Bergeron will be henceforth known as "slopshop" and "slapslop"

 

[carjackmalone]

Rick Tochett

 

[Staniowski]

Looking back on the whole legend of Guy Carbonneau, I'm sort of not getting why he turned himself into a defensive specialist in the first place. Here was a French Canadian junior scoring sensation coming up in the early 80s, puts up nearly 100 points in the AHL and is poised to inherit that torch from Guy Lafleur... and he becomes a shut down center? Based on lineage, organizational need you'd think his quickest and most direct path to success would have been to harness those offensive gifts and lead the Habs into the second half of the 80s. And he turns himself into Bob Gainey the next generation? I just don't get that shift in mentality, especially at the height of those high flying 80s seasons.

The way you characterize Carbonneau's offensive talent - being poised to inherit the torch from Lafleur - is not accurate.

Carbonneau didn't have that kind of offensive talent. There are scoring stars in junior every year....that doesn't mean any of them can be scoring stars in the NHL. Carbonneau had some decent offensive talent but he would never have been an offensive star in the bigs.

His move to defensive star was largely encouraged by Lemaire, who promised Carbonneau lots of ice-time and increased importance on the team if he focused on defense. The '84 playoffs were really the beginning of Carbonneau as a great defensive player.

It was a great transition, and Carbonneau's play defined the Habs' style for the next decade.

 

[alko]

Zdeno Chara: What was his potential the day, Islanders drafted him in 1996? Looking to his WHL career, AHL games... Simply a tough guy, who will clear the zone. Who will fight, when necessary, who will check.

 

[Stephen]

The way you characterize Carbonneau's offensive talent - being poised to inherit the torch from Lafleur - is not accurate.

Carbonneau didn't have that kind of offensive talent. There are scoring stars in junior every year....that doesn't mean any of them can be scoring stars in the NHL. Carbonneau had some decent offensive talent but he would never have been an offensive star in the bigs.

His move to defensive star was largely encouraged by Lemaire, who promised Carbonneau lots of ice-time and increased importance on the team if he focused on defense. The '84 playoffs were really the beginning of Carbonneau as a great defensive player.

It was a great transition, and Carbonneau's play defined the Habs' style for the next decade.

That makes sense. Without knowing what Carbonneau’s capabilities “pre-transformation” and hear say about Lafleur liking his offensive game it’s difficult to get a gauge of whether it was a stylistic transformation or if he had to live within a skill limitations. Guess that also covers why he didn’t have an offensive breakout later in his career, a la Doug Gilmour or something.

 

[Hobnobs]

Zdeno Chara: What was his potential the day, Islanders drafted him in 1996? Looking to his WHL career, AHL games... Simply a tough guy, who will clear the zone. Who will fight, when necessary, who will check.

I know he was mentioned (With Ken Belanger) as the guy who was supposed to take over for Mick Vukota on the Isles in an article I read at the time. Don't know if that was actually a wide spread view of Chara or not.

 

[Michael Farkas]

I don't think Chara became the opposite of what he was, certainly. He might have out-performed his likely potential (I guess, I didn't see him in the Dub)...but opposite? I don't think that's gonna be a match for this thread...

 

[frontsfan2005]

Radek Bonk was drafted as a player with soft hands and a mean streak, as evidenced by his 42 goal, 208 PIM season with Las Vegas of the IHL as a 17/18 year old in 93-94 that helped him being drafted 3rd overall in the 1994 draft.

In the NHL, he peaked at 25 goals and 66 penalty minutes in a season and wasn't really known as a player with a "mean streak".